Missing Nut Prompts Airlines To Inspect Every Boeing 737 Max

Photo: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency (Getty Images)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that airlines will have to inspect every Boeing 737 Max after a bolt was discovered with a missing nut during routine maintenance. The potential loose bolt is attached to a linkage on the rudder control system. Boeing also found an undelivered aircraft with a nut that wasn’t properly fastened, Reuters reports.

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There are roughly 1,370 737 Max airliners in service, and each will have to undergo a two-hour inspection. Recently delivered aircraft have already been cleared by the planemaker, and Boeing has recommended that airlines inspect their 737 Max aircraft within two weeks. The FAA’s statement on the matter reads:

“The FAA will remain in contact with Boeing and the airlines while the inspections are underway. The agency is asking the airlines to work through their approved Safety Management Systems to identify whether any loose hardware has been detected previously and to provide the agency with details on how quickly these two-hour inspections can be completed.”

“The FAA will consider additional action based on any further discovery of loose or missing hardware. Boeing recommended the inspections after an international operator discovered a bolt with a missing nut while performing routine maintenance on a mechanism in the rudder-control linkage. The company discovered an additional undelivered aircraft with a nut that was not properly tightened.”

An aircraft’s rudder is a vital control surface, but any loose linkage issue would become apparent during a pre-flight check. Any issue immediately resurfaces the 737 Max’s lethal history of technical problems, infamously the two MCAS stabilizer-induced crashes that killed 346 people. This potential loose bolt, while worrying, shouldn’t pose a significant safety risk.